Lubrication is an important aspect of maintaining machinery in proper operating condition. Machine elements such as bearings, journals, shafts, and joints require proper lubrication between their moving surfaces to decrease friction, prevent contamination, reduce wear and dissipate heat. Improper lubrication is likely to lead to premature component wear and component or system failure.
When determining the optimal lubrication between moving machine elements, many factors should be considered. These factors include the mode of operation of the machine, the type of machine element to be lubricated, the environment of the machine, the operating speed of the machine, the lubricant's viscosity, the lubricant's temperature, the lubricant's ingredients, and the lubricant's condition.
Prior art lubricators, such as the TRICO OptoMatic oiler, supply a constant level of lubricant within a lubricant reservoir to a machine element. The lubricant level is predetermined for the particular application and cannot be changed during the operating time of the machine to which the constant level lubricator is attached. Although this type of lubricator provides reasonable performance in many steady-state operations, multiple variables can create unacceptable operating conditions and lead to premature wear, or even failure, of machine elements. The variables include “on” and “off” operating modes (machine cycling), oil viscosity, machine speed, lubricant temperature, lubricant condition, and lubricant vessel pressure.
Other devices, such as the TRICO Hydrolert indicate by LED signals the status of the equipment's lubrication such as lubricant condition within acceptable levels, lubricant condition at the upper limit of acceptable levels, and lubricant condition immediate action required. This device is effective because an operator is signaled only when the lubricant condition is at the upper limit of acceptable levels or if immediate action is required. This reduces maintenance costs and productivity is enhanced.
There are various means that different pump manufacturers are using for lubricating bearings within a pump. The three most common are: 1) oil bath/splash 2) pure oil mist and 3) purge oil mist. Oil bath/splash is the most common means of lubricating the bearings.
Oil splash typically occurs by 3 different ways: 1) oil level is at the bottom of the bearing roller elements resulting in continuous contact with the oil 2) oil level is below bearings, and oil rings are used to splash oil to top of bearing or 3) oil level is either at or slightly below bearings and Flinger discs are used to splash oil. For pure oil mist systems, no flingers or rings are used. For purge oil mist systems, flingers, oil rings may be used in conjunction with mist system.
What method the pump manufacturer uses for lubricating the bearings depends on speed as well as various other various factors that affect the overall temperature.
The purpose of either a flinger disc or oil ring is 1) to provide lubricant to the bearing and 2) prevent thermal stratification of the oil (hot/cold). Traditional flinger discs are limited in diameter by the design of the housing. Oil rings generally are capable of dipping further into the oil bath. An oil ring is typically equal to 1.6 times the diameter of the shaft.
FIGS. 1a and 1b show prior art oil ring and flinger disk designs, respectively.